Cleansing of the Temple,Pallikoodas,3rdS,Nov.14,10

Pallikoodasa 3rd S.Nov.15,09
(Jn.2:13-22)
During his recent visit to Spain in the first week of November,the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVl consecrated a church in Barcelona that was in construction for the last 130 years.Known as the Church of the Holy Family(Sangrada Familia) , it was declared a minor Basilica.Its Architect,Antoni Gaudi, is in the process of beatification.Speaking at the time, the Holy Father observed that the church "stands as a visible sign of the invisible God" and that" it points to the One who is Light".Those words of the Holy Father are true of every temple of worship.
The Jewish Temple for the Jews was their most sacred place where they entered into deep communion with God.It was hence shocking for Jesus to see the Temple desecrated by commercial transactions and noisy trade deals.
In Deut.16,16, the Israelites are asked to make an annual pilgrimage for the Passover to the Temple and offer sacrifices. Those who could afford are asked to sacrifice an ox or a sheep and the poor two turtle doves or pigeons.
The Passover is celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Nisan (the first month of the Jewish year) and is followed by the festival of the unleavened bread.
Jesus comes to the Temple for the Passover celebration. The spectacle of trading, and the scene of shouting and bargaining that go with it provoke in Jesus such a moral outrage that he lashes out at the traders and money changers and drives them away from Temple.
The people who are there ask Him for signs or credentials that he has the authority to drive away traders from the Temple and to speak on behalf of God. Jesus gives them the sign of his divine authority by referring to his resurrection . They cannot catch the meaning of his words and even his disciples get the meaning only after his Resurrection.
We have more than a Temple in our midst. Our churches are the places where Jesus is present really. It is there that we pour out our pain and agony. We are comforted by the loving presence of Jesus in our churches. But how poor we are in our participation in the Eucharistic celebration! We find pretexts to avoid going to the church on Sundays on account of social obligations or of job-related matters.Our social obligations often take precedence over our obligations to the Lord.
The Church is also the living community of the followers of Jesus. We have to respect our fellow brethren and do anything that is possible in our power to lighten their burdens and support them in their times of pain and hardships.In coming to the aid of the poor and the suffering in our midst,we show our love for the Church which is the visible Body of Christ on earth.
Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:19). Hence,our thoughts and words should be in conformity with the presence of Lord in our hearts. We who receive the body and blood of Jesus should lead a life that is full of love and forgiveness. If we allow ourselves to be conquered by our sinful passions, how can we bear witness to the presence of the Spirit of the Lord in our life?
Anger, hatred, contempt, lack of compassion and unforgiving attitudes are the ways in which we diminish the holiness of our lives. The Temple of our life is being made unholy by these vices. We shall take the whip of repentance in our hands and purify ourselves from such unchristian ways of behavior and show the compassion and love of Jesus to others. As Fulton J. Sheen puts it: “We must nourish ourselves with the truths of God and mortify ourselves of those things which are harmful to the soul, and be just as scrupulous in avoiding moral evil as we are avoiding physical evil.”

Posted by George Madathiparampil at 9:38 AM